But celebrity conspiracy theories have come a long way since rumours first circulated of Paul McCartney’s demise following the mystery over the cover of the Beatles’ Abbey Road album in 1969.

This week, suggestions that pop singer Avril Lavigne died 14 years ago and was replaced by a clone or body double have been all over the internet.

Avril Lavigne

The pop conspiracy craze began almost 50 years ago with rumours that legendary Beatle Paul had died in a car crash.

Since then, there have been generations of great celebrity theories – and with the advance of technology and the internet, it has only spiralled.

Sir Paul McCartney

The cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road album

After he had been out of the limelight for a while between albums and tours, a radio phone-in suggested that Paul may have died.

With no internet and not much culture of celebrity conspiracy theorising at the time, the rumour grew arms and legs until Life magazine tracked Paul and his family down in the Mull of Kintyre and produced a feature headlined Paul Is Still With Us.

However, that didn’t stop the most hardy of paranoids and claims emerged that this was a fake – citing evidence on the cover of the Abbey Road album such as Paul’s shoeless appearance, his gait and a VW Beetle’s registration 28IF – referring to his apparent age if alive.

Jaden Smith

Jaden Smith (Image: Getty)

A particuarly cruel internet viral hoax swarmed over Facebook in recent years suggesting that Will Smith’s son Jaden had killed himself.

It’s part of a self-perpetuating virus with a link to a farewell video message he is said to have recorded for his father – click on the link and the virus takes control of your account to repost the story to all your friends.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift

In 2012, rumours circulated that Taylor had died in a car crash (the most common cause of conspiracy death apparently).

An artist in Melbourne has also painted a mural of her with the message “In Loving Memory of Taylor Swift: 1989 - 2016 RIP” as an apparently clever satire of the singer’s then spat with Kim and Kanye.

Another TS rumour is that she is a clone of satanist priestess Zeena LaVey.

Elvis

Elvis (Image: Publicity picture)

Since the king of rock ‘n’ roll died in 1977, theorists have suggested his death involved the CIA, black helicopters and the pressures of fame.

Beyonce

Beyonce (Image: Instagram)

It has been suggested Mrs Jay-Z died seven years ago. It is claimed her death is connected with the couple's membership of the all-powerful group the Illuminati.